Afraid of the Dark A little boy was afraid of the dark. One night his mother told him to go out to the back porch and bring her the broom. The little boy turned to his mother and said, "Mama, I don't want to go out there. It's dark." The mother smiled reassuringly at her son. "You don't have to be afraid of the dark," she explained. "Jesus is out there. He'll look after you and protect you." The little boy looked at his mother real hard and asked, "Are you sure he's out there?" "Yes, I'm sure. He is everywhere, and he is always ready to help you when you need him," she said. The little boy thought about that for a minute and then went to the back door and cracked it a little. Peering out into the darkness, he called, "Jesus? If you're out there, would you please hand me the broom?" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Hikers One day, Joe, Bob and Dave ...

It's time for another "Quench Your Thirst Thursday." To understand the purpose of "Quench Your Thirst," please Click Here! (Please make sure you come back :) For the #4 edition of "Quench Your Thirst Thursday" is "Holy Spirit Come Fill This Place" by Cece Winans. This is one of my favorite worship songs to usher in the presence of the Lord. Sometimes when so many things are going on around you, it can be very difficult to hear the voice of God giving you instructions. You can get overwhelm with the cares of the world and so many other things until you reach a point of emptiness. That sense of emptiness is not fun place to dwell. You begin to feel like there's one big ol' hole in your heart. There's no one who is remotely even capable of filling it up. No one, but Jesus. I've been there before on more than one ocassion. But, it wasn't until I humbled myself in the presence of God and asked Him (His Holy Spirit) to fill thi...

I did two scriptures only because I really love both of them. Knowing that God is the King of Glory, my Heavenly Father, and everything else I need Him to be makes me want to sound a loud trumpet that's full of joy and hope. Happy Wordfilled Wednesday!! Your Sister in Christ, Toia

Jesus at the window There was a little boy visiting his grandparents on their farm. He was given a slingshot to play without in the woods. He practiced in the woods but he could never hit the target. Discouraged, he headed back to dinner. As he was walking back he saw Grandma's pet duck. Just on an impulse, he let the slingshot fly, hit the duck square in the head and killed it. He was shocked and grieved. In a panic, he hid the dead duck in the wood pile only to see his sister watching. Sally had seen it all but she said nothing. After lunch that day Grandma said, "Sally, let's wash the dishes." But Sally said, "Grandma, Johnny told me he wanted to help in the kitchen." Then she whispered to him, "Remember the duck?" So Johnny did the dishes. Later that day, Grandpa asked if the children wanted to go fishing and Grandma said, "I'm sorry but I need Sally to help make supper." But Sally just smiled and said, "Well, that's all ...

Myspace Christian Comments & Graphics Glitter Graphics Maker & MySpace Layouts Your Sister in Christ, Toia

Myspace Angel Comments "And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, "Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep [me] from evil, that I may not cause pain!" So God granted him what he requested." (1 Chronicles 4:10) I encourage you to make this prayer part of daily confessions. God wants to enlarge our territory in 2009. But, we have to make sure that we prepare ourselves properly. As a result, we will be in the right place at the right time to receive our blessings indeed. Your Sister in Christ, Toia

Your Reward The way may seem hard, The road may be rough - To endure to the end You have to be tough, But try to stand firm, Be positive too! Your faith can be strong, And you will win through. You won't be alone - No, never my friend, The burden is shared, Right down to the end. Our Father in Heaven, And Jesus, our Lord Are waiting to give you Your eternal reward. This poem is sponsored by: Free christian poems. "The LORD repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge." (Ruth 2:12) "For He repays man [according to] his work, And makes man to find a reward according to [his] way." (Job 34:11) "Behold, the Lord GOD shall come with a strong [hand], And His arm shall rule for Him; Behold, His reward [is] with Him, And His work before Him." (Isaiah 40:10) "Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great [is] your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you....

It's time for another "Quench Your Thirst Thursday." To understand the purpose of "Quench Your Thirst," please Click Here! (Please make sure you come back :) For the third edition of "Quench Your Thirst Thursday," the Lord has placed upon my heart "Come Thou Fount, Come Thou King" sung by Gateway Worship . This song is already on my playlist. This song speaks to my spirit everytime. It gives me comfort in a way I cannot explain......a sense of peace, if you will. As you look and listen to the video, meditate on the lyrics. One of the verses that quench the thirstiness of my spirit is verse 2: "I was lost in utter darkness 'til You came and rescued me I was bound by all my sin when Your love came and set me free Now my soul can sing a new song, now my heart has found a home Now Your grace is always with me And I'll never be a- lone" This verse lets me know that I am no longer a slave to and bounded by sin. I am free!!! My so...

Be sure to join us with WORD FILLED WEDNESDAY hosted by Amydeanne @The 160 Acre Woods. Your Sister in Christ, Toia

Myspace Monday Comments & Graphics Dear Heavenly Father, I pray for everyone's week to be a blessing and fulfill week. I send out angels in the name of Jesus to destory any attacks from satan. He is a defeated foe!! For those who are sick, I pray for healing. For those who are sad for whatever reason, I pray for joy. For those who feel weak, I pray for strength. We give you our week and every week for the rest of our lives to lead us and guide us in the way you want us to go. This is my prayer and my plea. In Jesus' Holy Name I pray....Amen. Happy Monday to you all!! Your Sister in Christ, Toia

Christian Graphic Comments "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror;" (James 1:22-23) "And remember, it is a message to obey, not just to listen to. If you don't obey, you are only fooling yourself. For if you just listen and don't obey, it is like looking at your face in a mirror but doing nothing to improve your appearance." (James 1:22-23 NLT) "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror." (James 1:22-23 NIV) Your Sister in Christ, Toia

Smart Mom A mother was walking with her four year old daughter one day when the daughter picked up something off the ground and started to put it into her mouth. The mother stopped her and said she shouldn't do that. "Why," asked the little girl. "Because it’s dirty. It's been on the ground. You don't know where it's been. It probably has germs." The little girl looked up at her mom with admiration and asked, "How do you know so much?" Thinking quickly, the mother said, "All moms know so much. We have to. It's on the Mommy Test. If you don't know it, you don't get to be a mommy." The little girl pondered this for a few minutes, then her face brightened. "I get it!" she said. "If you don't pass the test, you get to be a daddy!" "Yup," said the mom. I'd Like to See That "Oh, boy! I'm glad you're here," the little boy said to his grandmother on his mother's side....

It is time for another edition of Quench Your Thirst Thursday. To understand why this is called "Quench Your Thirst Thursday", please refer to the first edition. In the right sidebar, under labels, click on Quench Your Thirst to read the first edition. For this "Quench Your Thirst Thursday", the Lord has placed upon my heart...."The Stand" by Hillsong United. This is one of my many favorite worship songs. Here are the lyrics: You stood before creation Eternity within Your hand You spoke the earth into motion My soul now to stand You stood before my failure Carried the Cross for my shame My sin weighed upon Your shoulders My soul now to stand So what can I say What can I do But offer this heart O God Completely to You So I'll walk upon salvation Your Spirit alive in me This life to declare Your promise My soul now to stand So what can I say What can I do But offer this heart O God Completely to You So I’ll stand With arms high and heart abandoned In awe...

These are pictures of my fellow choir members. They were taken in between our Christmas Eve (candlelight) services. We had a blast. And the fellowship was awesome and a blessing to my spirit. Please enjoy!! Your Sister in Christ, Toia

MIND A negative thought came to my mind. He wore a charming smile And I was sorely tempted to invite him in awhile. And as I hesitated, He tapped softly on the door And whispered through the keyhole As he'd often done before. He said, "I'll help you hold your grudge, I'll help you sing the blues, It seems like all your folks and friends have turned their backs on you." He said, "You've been misunderstood, Mistreated and maligned. I'll help you cry your heart out If you'll let me come inside" But, I kept my windows fastened And my doors securely closed, For I knew I'd be the loser If I let him take control For negative thoughts can multiply And crowd the positives out And make the mind a cesspool Of anxiety and doubt. And so I told the negative thought I could not let him in. He went his way, but I am sure That he'll return again. But no more will I greet him With a welcome or a smile And never will I entertain him Even for awhile. I...

Graphics for Monday Comments Happy Monday!! Have a bless week!! Your Sister in Christ, Toia

It is an honor to receive this award from my dear friend, Rebekah at Rebekah's Beautiful Day. Please stop by and visit her when you get a chance. You will be bless by her honesty, sincerity, and compassion. Now, I am to list 5 things that I am addicted to and then pass this award along to 5 other fabulous female bloggers. I am addicted (really love) to..... 1) Getting along with people without any friction 2) Laughing and have fun with a few of my girlfriends 3) Ice Cream (mostly the candy flavored ones, butterfingers, snickers, reese's peanut butter cups and with caramel) yummilicious!! 4) my favorite TV shows (Eli Stone, Heroes, My Worst Enemy, Grey's Anatomy just to name a few) 5) Romantic Movies (Lake House, Something New, A Walk to Remember, Serendipity, etc) Now I would like to pass this award to five ladies who keep their blog chic and beautiful with words, encouragement, laughter, inspiration and many other fabulous characteristics: 1. I Am Heading Towards My Desti...

Myspace Christian Comments & Graphics " Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;" (Proverbs 3:5) "I will say of the LORD, "[He is] my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust ."(Psalm 91:2) "Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, And put your trust in the LORD ." (Psalm 4:5) " Trust in the LORD , and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness." (Psalm 37:3) "It is better to trust in the LORD Than to put confidence in man." (Psalm 118:8) Your Sister in Christ, Toia

Good Sermon! After a very long and boring sermon the parishoners filed out of the church saying nothing to the preacher. Towards the end of the line was a thoughtful person who always commented on the sermons."Pastor, today your sermon reminded me of the peace and love of God!" The pastor was thrilled. "No-one has ever said anything like that about my preaching before. Tell me why." "Well - it reminded me of the Peace of God because it passed all understanding and the Love of God because it endured forever!" Dangerous Dog One day a mailman was greeted by a boy and a huge dog. The mailman said to the boy, "does your dog bite?" "No," replied the boy. Just then the huge dog bit the mailman. The man yelled, "I thought your dog doesn't bite!" "He doesn't," replied the boy, "that's not my dog!" Important Man The Pope had just finished a tour of the East Coast and was taking a limousine to the airport....

Have it ever been a time when you were so thirsty that you needed a glass of cold water to quench it? Then after you drink it down the first thing you say is, "Ahhhh!" But what if your thirst runs deeper than that? What if, what you thirst for is not physical and a glass of water just won't do the trick? Hmmmmm... Many of us thirst for love, righteousness, integrity, a closer relationship with God, oneness, and so forth. Whatever you thirst for God is the only one who can quench it. Your husband can't do it. Your children can't do it. Your job or money can't do it. Only God. "For I will give you abundant water to quench your thirst and to moisten your parched fields. And I will pour out my Spirit and my blessings on your children. "(Isaiah 44:3, NLT) Your parched fields can symbolize parched areas of your heart (your spiritual being) that need to be moisten or tended to. But you have to be honest with yourself to see what areas of your heart needs t...

I am so blessed to have receive an award from Beth at Beth at I Am Heading Towards My Destiny . It's called the Premio Dardos Award. This award acknowledges the values that EVERY Blogger displays in their effort to transmit cultural, ethical, literary and personal values with each message they write. The rules associated with this reward are as follows: 1. Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person that has granted the award and his/her blog link. 2. Pass the award to 15 other blogs that are worthy of this acknowledgment. Remember to contact each of them to let them know they have been chosen as recipients. So, I would like to pass this award to these beautiful ladies in the Lord: 1. Seeds In My Heart - Randi Jo 2. Bold & Free - Jan 3. Rebekah's Beautiful Day - Rebekah 4. Beadfluff - Mary Timme 5. Me Melanie - Melanie 6. Thy Word Is A Lamp Unto My Feet - Myriam 7. 160 Acre Woods - Amydeanne 8. A Free Spirit Butterfly - 9. Joyfull Living - 1...

PSALM 23 (FOR THE OFFICE) The Lord is my boss, and I shall not want. God gives me peace, when chaos is all around me. God reminds me to pray, before I speak in anger. God restores my sanity. God guides my decisions that I might honor the Lord in . . .all that I do. Even though I face absurd amounts of e-mail, system failures, copier jams, backordered supplies, unrealistic deadlines, staff shortages, budget cutbacks, red tape, downsizing, gossiping coworkers, whining customers, I won't give up, for You are with me. Your presence, peace and power will see me through. You raise me up, even when the boss fails to promote me. You claim me as your own, even when the company threatens to let me go. Your loyalty and love are better than a bonus check Your retirement plan beats any 401K, and when it's all said and done, I'll be working for you a whole lot longer! Thanks be to God. (Poem from God is Groovy) You can always revise this poem to accomodate any situation at home, school, ...

MySpace Graphics & Free Myspace Layouts It was kind of hard getting back into the swing of things today. It's only because I was on a nice two weeks holiday vacation and all teachers (at least in my district) had to return to work today. However, my children were able to indulge one more day. Be that as it may, they go back to school tomorrow. It's going to be kind of tough because that means I have to get up, oh around, 5:45 in the a.m. Boy, I am going to miss the days where I was able to sleep in at least until 8:30 - 9:00 am. Oh well, it was great while it lasted. So, for those of you who have to get back into your regularly scheduled routine (getting up early in the morning, fixing hubby's and children's breakfast, getting children up and ready for school, finding socks for hubby and the kids, fixing lunches, and so on and so on) I pray strength upon strength and a recommended dosage of at least two cups of strong caffeinated coffee. Happy Monday!!! Stay Bless ...

"And may the Lord our God show us his approval and make our efforts successful. Yes, make our efforts successful!" (New Living Translation) "And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us, And establish the work of our hands for us; Yes, establish the work of our hands." (New King James Version) "May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us-- yes, establish the work of our hands." (New International Version) "And let the beauty and delightfulness and favor of the Lord our God be upon us; confirm and establish the work of our hands--yes, the work of our hands, confirm and establish it." (Amplified Version) No matter which version I read, Psalm 90:17 is music to my ears. I would like to consider this my declaration for 2009. I pray that the favor and beauty of God rest upon all of us and show us His approval, establish and confirm the work of our hands, and make every bit of our efforts successful. Mo...

It's hard to believe that it's a brand new year.....2009 to be exact. It's amazing how time flies. When I reflect on different events that transpired in my life it only seems like it was yesterday. Different events such as graduating from high school, getting married, having children, loved ones going home to be with the Lord, and etc. It's a blessing to be living to see a brand new year. My prayer is that I won't waste such an opportunity. This year can be one the best years in your life. You just have to expect the unexpected and believe in God to start opening doors for you. This could be the year to receive your heart's desires from the Lord. "Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart," (Psalm 37:4). If it is God's will, you can start your own business, be a stay at home mom, budget out your finances, go back to school, or whatever your dream is go for it. The question is.....What are you waiting for? In...